There are a variety of electrical system applications which require one or more sources of high voltage AC power. As a non-limiting example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), such as that employed in desktop and laptop computers, or in larger display applications such as large scale television screens, requires an associated set of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) mounted directly behind it for back-lighting purposes. In these and other applications, ignition and continuous operation of the CCFLs require the application of a high AC voltage that can range on the order of several hundred to several thousand volts. Supplying such high voltages to these devices has been customarily accomplished using one of several methodologies.
A first approach involves the use a single-ended drive system, wherein a high voltage AC voltage generation and control system is transformer-coupled to one/near end of the lamp, while the other/far end of the lamp is connected to ground. This technique is undesirable, as it involves the generation of a very high peak AC voltage in the high voltage transformer circuitry feeding the driven end of the lamp.
Another approach involves the use a double-ended drive system, wherein a high voltage AC voltage generation and control system is transformer-coupled to one/near end of the lamp, while connection from the voltage generation and control system to the other/far end of the lamp is effected through high voltage wires. These wires can be relatively long (e.g., four feet or more), and are more expensive than low voltage wires; in addition, they lose substantial energy through capacitive coupling to ground.
Another approach is to place a high voltage transformer and associated voltage switching devices, such as MOSFETs or bipolar transistors, near the far end of the lamp; these devices are connected to and controlled by a local controller at the near end of the lamp. This approach has disadvantages similar to the first, in that the gate (or base) drive wires are required to carry high peak currents and must change states at high switching speeds for efficient operation. The long wires required are not readily suited for these switching speeds, due their inherent inductance; in addition they lose energy because of their substantial resistance.